Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters (1984)

Directed by Ivan Reitman

Who do you call when ghosts plague your home or business? In this case it’s three unemployed parapsychologists who’ve set up shop in New York. Vankman (Murray), Stantz (Aykroyd), Spengler (Ramis), and their new hire Winston (Hudson) take on the creepiest ghosts the city has to offer. Just as things are taking off the guys are met with a challenge from the darkest of demons. This time it’s Zuul, a demon who has taken up residence in Dana Barrett’s (Weaver) apartment. Now the Ghostbuster’s must defeat Zuul to save the human race from this terrible demon.

Ivan Reitman directed this great 1984 film. He might be better known for Up in the Air which earned him an Oscar nomination.

The stars of the film are some of the who’s who of the early 1980s Saturday Night Live. Murray had spent several seasons as a cast member on SNL alongside Dan Aykroyd. Moranis was still riding the success of his film Strange Brew which featured a character he had played on SNL.

Harold Ramis was not among the SNL crowd but he did write Ghostbusters and would go on to write other hits like Groundhog Day and Caddyshack.

Ernie Hudson had already been in countless television shows before Ghostbusters. He is also known for his role in The Crow, and his work on the hit show Oz.

This movie also brought in the beautiful Sigourney Weaver who was already becoming known for her work in films including Alien. She has gone on to receive three Oscar nominations.

When the film was released it was a box office success with the critics and the fans. It even earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Song and Best Special Effects. It’s a fun film with a ridiculous story that is sure to entertain. The film is dated by the special effects but this doesn’t hurt the repay value. I would recommend this for anyone, but it might be most appreciated by the children of the 80s. I give this movie 3.7 out of 5 stars.

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9 comments

Great film, and I think you’re under-rating it, personally. But then, I am a child of the 80s. One correction, though; Rick Moranis was never a cast member on SNL. The McKenzie Brothers were a recurring segment on SCTV, the other big sketch show of the period.

According to my research Bob McKenzie did make an SNL appearance, but I appreciate the update. I’m a huge fan of the movie, by the way, but when I rate a film I try to keep things in perspective. A lot of my guilty pleasures are not highly rated on the site despite the fact that I love them.